Kingdom Keepers: Defenders of the Crystal
by Future Keybearer
Summary: This is the fourth installment in my Kingdom Keepers series. Timber, Woody, and Stitch are given an important task. When they flub it up, they have to take a journey around the park in order to set things right.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

It was a normal night at the Magic Kingdom. Timber was in the castle tower telling Woody and Stitch about his adventures in Wasteland. "To think," Woody said, "A whole world of forgotten Disney characters." "Yeah, I know," Timber said. He sat quiet for a moment, looking at the floor. "What wrong?" Stitch asked. "It's just that," Timber answered, "lately I've been going to strange places. And not just going there, being sent there without any kind of warning. It's starting to concern me."

Suddenly, a cloud of smoke appeared next to them. The three got ready to defend themselves, then they heard the intruder's voice, "H-Hold your fire! I come in peace!" The smoke lifted away to reveal Merlin. "What are you doing here Merlin?" Timber asked, loosening up. "Well, you see, I have a very important task for the three of you," Merlin answered, "And seeing how alert you boys are, I'm even more certain in your ability to accomplish it." Merlin reached into his sleeve saying, "I need you to protect this." He revealed a crystal ball. "You want us to protect snow globe?" Stitch asked. "It's not a snow globe!" Merlin snapped. Composing himself, Merlin continued, "At least, not anymore. Anyway, this is the Crystal of the Magic Kingdom." "The Crystal of the Magic Kingdom," Timber repeated, "That sounds familiar. Isn't that from that new game the imagineers just installed into the park?" "Game?" Stitch asked. "Yeah, it's this really cool game where park guests can fight their favorite Disney villains. I haven't tried it yet, but it seems like a lot of fun." Timber explained. "Why would you want to?" Woody asked, "You spend all night fighting Disney villains." "Focus boys!" Merlin yelled.

"Yes this crystal is exactly like the one in the imagineers game. As such, it holds tremendous power. Enough to keep the Overtakers at bay." "For something so important, why are you leaving it with us?" Timber asked. "Well," Merlin said, "after your previous endeavors, I can think of no better guardians for it." As Merlin handed over the crystal, Timber could feel the power it contained. "Now remember," Merlin added, "You must keep it a secret. For should the Overtakers find out that it truly exists, they will no doubt plot to destroy it, or worse, corrupt it." "You can count on us Merlin," Timber said. "I knew I could," Merlin replied, "One more thing. One of you should keep the crystal on you at all times. Even if you never spoke of it again, I'm sure the Overtakers will find out about it somehow."

Meanwhile, Maleficent was keeping a watchful eye on the heroes. "So, that blasted crystal is real. Perhaps we should acquire it for ourselves."

Back at the castle, Merlin said his goodbyes, "I'd best be off. Don't let me down." As Merlin disappeared, Timber said, "I'd better go too. It's getting close to morning." As Timber was about to press the button on the Return, he looked at his friends and asked, "Can I trust you guys to find a safe place for the crystal?" "Stitch already have perfect place!" Stitch exclaimed. And with that, Timber pressed the button.

That day at school, Timber couldn't help but think about the night before. '_I still can't believe Merlin gave us such an important artifact to protect._' Timber thought, '_Can't help but wonder where Stitch hid the thing._' Then, Timber realized something. '_Oh crud, why did we let Stitch hide it?! Tonight can't come soon enough!_'

That night, Timber hurried to the tower. "Okay guys, where's the crystal?" Timber asked as soon as he arrived. "I've been trying to get Stitch to tell me for a half hour!" Woody said. "Come on Stitch," Timber said, "Where is it?" Stitch checked the surrounding area, and started to gag. "Oh he didn't…" Timber said annoyed. As Stitch continued to gag, Woody said, "It's Stitch. Of course he did." Finally, Stitch puked up the crystal. "Okay," Timber said, "does the emporium sell air freshener?"

Later that night, Timber, Woody, and Stitch sat at a table playing cards. "Fold," Stitch said. As Timber laid down his cards saying, "Two pair!" Woody gave a grin and said, "Flush!" Timber started shouting, "Oh come on! How do you do that?!" As Woody collected his chips, Stitch heard something. "What is it Stitch?" Timber asked. Stitch started barking at the ceiling. It turned out Pain and Panic were attempting to steal the crystal. "Oh man!" Pain screamed. "Run!" Panic yelled. Timber, Woody, and Stitch chased Pain and Panic around the room. Getting fed up, Stitch finally drew his plasma blaster and took aim. Timber noticed this and screamed, "Stitch don't!"

But it was too late, for Stitch already pulled the trigger. Instead of hitting Pain or Panic, the blast hit the crystal. Suddenly, the crystal filled with energy, and broke apart. The shards flew all around the park. "Oh no," Panic said, "Hades is gonna be mad when he finds out!" "You mean…" Pain started. "Don't you say 'if he finds out!'" Panic yelled. Then the two ran off.

Timber looked out the window asking, "How do we tell Merlin?" "Tell me what?" Merlin asked as he appeared in the room. Almost instantly, Stitch hid behind Timber. Hesitantly, Timber explained what had happened. When he finished, Merlin looked at the three and said, "Well, at least it sounds like the fail-safe kicked in." "Fail-safe?" Timber, Woody, and Stitch asked in unison. "You see," Merlin explained, "as an added safety measure, I infused the crystal with a special spell. Should the crystal be attacked with enough force, it shall break apart into eight shards, and scatter across the Magic Kingdom." "Do you know where they might have landed?" Timber asked. "As a matter of fact I do," Merlin answered. He summoned a piece of paper and said, "This map shows the eight locations where I designated the crystal shards to go to."

Timber took the map and said, "Great! We better find those shards." Before he and the others could leave, Merlin said, "Wait a moment. The shards must be found of course, but there's something else that you should know. As yet another length to protect the crystal, the shards have nestled themselves into dimensional pockets in each of the areas. You will need this to open special portals around the park to get to the shards." Merlin summoned a small key and handed it to Timber. "One more thing," Merlin added, "These dimensional pockets exist in a world of special magic. This might aid you."

Merlin casted a spell that surrounded Timber with smoke. When it cleared, Timber was revealed to be wearing a blue robe and red pants. "These sorcerer robes will give you the power to use these spell cards," Merlin explained as he handed a deck to Timber. "To use them," Merlin continued, "simply hold the card in front of you, and proclaim its name." "Anything else to add?" Timber asked. "Just to be on your guard boys," Merlin said, "If the Overtakers have already taken action, you can be certain that they'll be after the shards as well. I'll do my best to keep them off your tails while you search, and I'll send you help when I can."

As the three were leaving the tower, Timber stopped to say, "I'm sorry Merlin. You put your faith in us and we let you down." "Oh don't worry my lad," Merlin said, "We've all failed in attempts to do something in our lives. But the way I see it, it's better to make mistakes and learn from them, than to do something perfectly and learn nothing."

And so, the quest to restore the crystal had begun.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Back at the Overtakers' lair, Pain and Panic had just finished delivering their report on their mission. "You numbskulls!" Hades screamed, "I gave you two one simple job, and you screw it up!" "B-But it's not our fault your Gruesomeness!" Pain pleaded. "Yeah," Panic added, "We would have had it if the little monster hadn't blown it up, and the shards went flying everywhere!" Realizing what Panic had said, Hades calmed down. "Well isn't that fortunate… for you," Hades said, "If the crystal is destroyed, we have nothing to worry about." "Don't be so sure Hades," Maleficent said, "I have no doubt in my mind that the boy and his pitiful friends shall attempt to reassemble the crystal." "So, what do we do your Evilness?" Pain asked. "I should think it obvious," Maleficent answered, "We must acquire the shards before those fools have the chance to."

Meanwhile, Timber, Woody, Stitch, and Merlin walked down Main Street. They were heading for City Hall, for that was where the first portal was. "You know Merlin," Timber said, "We can handle this ourselves. You don't need to come with us." "On the contrary my boy," Merlin said, "It's not that I think you can't handle yourselves, I just want to make sure that you know what you're doing with those spell cards and the key." Upon arrival at City Hall, Timber checked the map and said, "Well, according to the map," Timber said, "the portal should be on the left window." "But there's nothing there," Woody said. "Well," Merlin chuckled, "You didn't think I'd leave the portal in plain sight now did you? Now Timber, the key if you please." Timber handed Merlin the key, and the wizard started looking over the window. "Now where did I put that portal," Merlin muttered. "You mean you don't know where it is?!" Woody exclaimed as Stitch simply shook his head. "Don't worry boys," Merlin said, "I came prepared." Merlin produced a small coin-like stone from his sleeve.

"What's that?" Timber asked. "This, my dear boy," Merlin answered, "is the Sorcerer's Crest. While on its own, the Crest little more than a paperweight, it can be used to reveal secrets and even counteract dark magic." Merlin waved the crest over the window, and a small keyhole appeared just right of the center. "Ah, there it is!" Merlin said as he inserted the key into the keyhole. Suddenly, the keyhole expanded into an oval portal. "Shall we then?" Merlin said before jumping into the portal. Timber, Woody, and Stitch followed.

Inside the portal, it looked just like the inside of City Hall, except it looked slightly different. Like it had been drawn for an animated movie. "What is this place?" Timber asked. "City Hall," Merlin answered, "Where else?" "Rolling his eyes, Timber responded, "Well, yeah, but everything is… animated." "Well you see," Merlin explained, "The park is connected to this magical realm, which was imagined by some of Disney's greatest animators and imagineers. It works as a sort of, source of magic for the parks." "So it's kinda like a behind the scenes type of deal, right?" Woody asked. "You could say that," Merlin answered. "Cool," Timber said," So where's the crystal shard?" "I haven't the slightest clue," Merlin said. Timber, Woody, and Stitch looked at Merlin with disbelief. "Once the crystal enters this realm, it chooses its own hiding spot," Merlin explained. Timber, Woody, and Stitch still had a look of shock on their faces. "Worst. Mission. Ever." Stitch commented.

After about an hour of searching City Hall, the group heard a loud bark. "Uh, Merlin?" Timber asked, "Does anyone, or anything, live on this side of the portal?" Merlin thought for a moment. "Not that I know of," Merlin answered, "But no worries. I think I recognize that bark." As Merlin started heading towards the door, Woody looked at Timber and said, "He can recognize a specific bark?" Timber shrugged and followed Merlin as he headed outside. Just outside the door, as a familiar Dalmatian. "Pongo old boy!" Merlin exclaimed as Pongo ran up to lick his face. "Well, at least the bark was friendly," Timber said. Pongo continued to bark with a worried look on his face. "Really?" Merlin asked the dog with concern. "You speak dog?" Timber asked. "You don't?" Merlin responded.

"Pongo says that he called here by something he doesn't recognize. The crystal shard no doubt. He also says that Perdita and the puppies are here too, and that they're being held by Cruella De Vil and her lackeys." "But, how did they all get here?" Timber asked, "I thought that the key was the only way to open the portal here." "Apparently, there is more to this realm than even I know," Merlin answered, "With this knowledge, we should tread cautiously." Timber scratched Pongo's head saying, "Don't worry boy. We'll find Perdita and the pups. Do you know where they're being held?" Pongo perked up a bit and started running down the street, Timber, Woody, Stitch, and Merlin following close behind.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The group followed Pongo down Main Street to an old looking shop. Inside were Cruella's henchmen, Jasper and Horace. The two stooges sat in the middle of the room asleep, supposed to be guarding the one-hundred dalmatians trapped in the wooden cages. Pongo started to growl, ready to attack. However, Timber grabbed Pongo by the collar saying, "No Pongo. We shouldn't take them head on. Who knows what the Overtakers have supplied those two with." "Quite right," Merlin said, "We need to free the dogs without drawing any attention to ourselves." Timber thought for a moment. "Hey Stitch," he said, "Feel like doing some sneaking?"

A few minutes later, Stitch started crawling on the ceiling. Many of the puppies who noticed him started barking with glee. As Stitch tried to signal the puppies to be quiet, Jasper started to wake up. "Oi, shut up you stupid mutts!" he yelled, "We're trying to get some shut eye here!" Stitch continued to the other side of the room and tried to unlock one of the cages. Unfortunately, he had a little trouble opening it. "It would seem that those locks are enchanted," Merlin said. "So how are we supposed to open them?" Timber asked. "I have an idea," Merlin answered.

Merlin made the Sorcerers Crest appear in Stitch's hand. When Stitch looked back at the door, Merlin signaled to him to wave the crest over the lock. Stitch did as instructed and the crest not only open the one cage, but all the cages at once. All the puppies hurried from their cages barking happily. This woke both Jasper and Horace. Trying to stop the dogs, the two thugs raised clubs, only to have Timber throw light spheres at their faces.

As the dogs escaped, Jasper and Horace tried get back on their feet. "Leave them alone!" Timber yelled, backed up by his friends. However, Jasper and Horace were still ready to fight, preparing a round of fireworks. "May I suggest using a spell card?" Merlin said to Timber. Timber started looking through his spell cards until he finally decided on one. He held it out and proclaimed, "Belle's Mountain Blizzard!" Suddenly, a flurry of snowballs came flying out of the card until the two goons and the fireworks were buried in snow. "Cool," Timber said.

As Timber, Woody, Stitch, and Merlin left the building, Woody stopped for a moment. He looked back to see that Cruella was walking in through the back door. "You bumbling idiots!" she yelled when she saw that Jasper and Horace were covered in snow. As the two tried to explain themselves, Cruella simply said, "Forget it. Now that I have this crystal, I can have as many puppies as I need for my coats!" Cruella took a piece of the crystal out of her coat. Suddenly, A rope wrapped around the crystal, and flew out of Cruella's hand. "Thanks partners!" Woody said holding the crystal. As he ran off, Cruella screamed, "Get that crystal!"

But before any of them could get out, Timber used another spell card, "Hercules's Tower Topple!" Then, the building came down on the villains. "Well done my lads!" Merlin said, "I am sure you three can collect the other seven shards." Timber started to thank him for the compliment, but was interrupted by the puppies jumping on all over him, Woody, and Stitch, licking their faces in gratitude.


End file.
